English Heritage will once again welcome people to Stonehenge to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Sunrise is just after 8am on Friday 22nd December and visitors will be able to access the monument as soon as it is light enough to do so safely. Please read the information below before planning your visit and visit the English Heritage website. There will be a rare Full Moon on the Winter Solstice this year, the next occurrence will be in 2094

Senior druid King Arthur Pendragon at Stonehenge. The winter solstice is considered more important than its summer counterpart as it marks the ‘re-birth’ of the sun

Access to Stonehenge for Winter Solstice is free and is subject to the Conditions of Entry. Please read these before deciding whether to attend. Stonehenge is in a field on Salisbury Plain and the weather in December will be cold and wet. Even if it isn’t raining, the ground will be wet from the dew and there may also be frost. Sensible footwear and warm, waterproof clothing is essential. Please note, parking charges apply.

Stonehenge is an ancient prehistoric site which has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Winter Solstice for thousands of years and is seen by many as a sacred site.

English Heritage is pleased to provide free Managed Open Access to Stonehenge for Winter Solstice and ask that if you are planning to join us for this peaceful and special occasion that you read these Conditions of Entry and the information provided on the following pages before deciding whether to come.

Admission to the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge is free of charge.

Please help us to create a peaceful occasion by taking personal responsibility and following the Conditions of Entry and guidelines. We have a duty of care to ensure public safety and are responsible for the protection of Stonehenge and its surrounding Monuments. If we are to ensure that future access is sustainable, it is essential that everyone observes and abides by these Conditions of Entry.

These Conditions of Entry are written to ensure enjoyment and public safety for everyone. Contravention of any of these conditions may result in entry being refused or your removal from Stonehenge. English Heritage reserves the right to refuse entry.

Stonehenge is a world renowned historic Monument and part of a World Heritage Site. It is seen by many who attend as a sacred place. Please respect it and please respect each other.

Amplified Music is inappropriate and will not be permitted.

Drunken, disorderly, and anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated; ejection, by security staff and/or Police, without return, will be the outcome.

Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Illegal drugs are still illegal at Stonehenge as they are anywhere else. The police will be on site during the access period and will take immediate action against anyone breaking the law.

Glass is not allowed at the Monument as many people walk barefoot and, in addition, livestock and wildlife also graze in the area. If you bring any glass items with you, they will be confiscated.

Do not climb or stand on any of the stones – this includes the stones that have fallen. This is in the interest of personal safety, the protection of this special site and respect for those attending. As well as putting the stones themselves at risk, climbing on them can damage the delicate lichens.

To help us reduce the amount of litter on site, leafleting or flyering is not allowed.

Camping, fires, Chinese lanterns, Fireworks, Candles, Tea-Lights or BBQs are NOT permitted at Stonehenge, in the parking areas, or anywhere in the surrounding National Trust land.

Do not bring drones or any type of remote-controlled aircraft to Stonehenge. There is a No Fly Zone in place over Stonehenge during Winter Solstice which makes it a criminal offense to attempt to fly anything over the stones below a certain height. The No Fly Zone includes drones. If you attempt to fly a drone from anywhere on site, including the Solstice Car Park, you will be stopped and asked to leave.

For further information about Managed Open Access for Winter Solstice at Stonehenge, please call English Heritage Customer Services Solstice Hotline on 0370 333 1181.

PLANNING YOUR JOURNEY

Parking for Winter Solstice is very limited and we cannot guarantee that there will be space in the two Winter Solstice car parks. We strongly recommend car sharing or using public transport.

Organised Tours – If you are considering visiting Stonehenge for the Solstice celebrations you can join an organised tour. Use a reputable tour operator who respect the conditions. Stonehenge Guided Tours are the longest established company and offer guided tours and transport from London. Solstice Events offer small group Winter Solstice Tours from Bathusing local expert guides.

PARKING AND PARKING CHARGES

Limited parking is available in the Winter Solstice car parks, which will open at 6am on the 22 December.

Signs will direct you to the Solstice car parks – please ensure that you follow these. If directed to parking away from the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, motorists will have access to Park & Ride transport to the Visitor Centre included in their parking charge.

We cannot guarantee entry to the car parks and recommend car sharing or coming by public transport as cars will be turned away when the car parks are full. Last year this happened at around 7am. Please do not arrive early as there is no waiting on the roads in the area and you will be moved on.

Please note, car parking charges apply to all users of the Winter Solstice car parks, including Blue Badge holders, and members of English Heritage and National Trust.

The parking charge helps the charity cover the costs of providing additional staffing and lighting in the car parks and is designed to encourage people to car share or travel by bus.

Blue Badge parking

Parking for Blue Badge holders is available at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre Car Park. No pre-booking is required. Visitors are asked to highlight their Blue Badge to stewards on arrival so that they can be directed to an appropriate parking space.

A shuttle will run from the Visitor Centre to the Monument and visitors with accessibility requirements will have priority.

COME PREPARED

Stonehenge is in a field on Salisbury Plain and the weather in December will be cold and wet. Even if it isn’t raining, the ground will be wet from the dew. There may also be frost. Sensible footwear and warm, waterproof clothing is essential.

There is at least a 30 minute walk in low light or darkness, from the Visitor Centre to Stonehenge itself. You are strongly advised to wear strong, waterproof footwear, and to bring a torch with you. A shuttle will run from the Visitor Centre to the Monument and visitors with accessibility requirements will hve priority. All other visitors should be prepared to walk.

There are no catering facilities in the monument field; however the café at the visitor centre will be open for hot drinks and breakfast rolls from 6am.

For traffic, weather and other updates on the morning of the winter solstice, Follow @St0nehenge @EH_Stonehenge @VisitStonehenge @HighwaysEngland @VisitWiltshire @DruidKingArthur @Wiltshirepolice for #WinterSolstice2018

Our ancient British ancestors have been “making and breaking relationships with continental Europe” for thousands of years, a new exhibition will show.

The collection, including a 6,500-year-old jade axe made in Italy, will go on display at Stonehenge on Friday.

The axe is made of jadeitite obtained from the French-Italian Alps TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM/PA

Organisers say it highlights how there were different periods of connection with, and relative isolation from, Europe in Britain’s history.

It will be the first time the objects have been displayed together.

Experts say in the late Neolithic period when Stonehenge was built, about 5,000 years ago, communities living in the British Isles appear to have been insular and had little communication with continental Europe.

But both before and after, in the early Neolithic and the early Bronze Age period, items, styles and religious beliefs were being shared widely.

English Heritage historian, Susan Greaney, said: “From insular communities with what appears to be little outside communication, to mass migrations and the sharing of raw materials and finished artefacts, our ancestors have been making and breaking relationships with Continental Europe for thousands of years.

“Throughout the Neolithic and Bronze Age, Stonehenge stood at the centre of this constantly changing ebb and flow of objects, styles, people and ideas.”

Despite the poor weather conditions visitors headed to the famous 5,000-year-old stone circle in Wiltshire in the dark to ensure they got to see the sun rise. And they made the most of one of only four public annual events that allows people to get so close to the stones.

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WHY CAN PAGANS AND DRUIDS GET SO CLOSE TO THE STONES FOR THE EQUINOX?

The famous Stonehenge circle is normally roped off to the public, but special access is granted four times a year.

This is only on the mornings of the summer solstice, winter solstice, spring equinox and autumn equinox.

English Heritage has ‘managed open access’, meaning the public can stand among the stones on these days.

Anyone can turn up on the day to get close to the stones, but people are asked not to touch or climb on them.

Organisers also have a ban on bringing glass bottles or pets onto the site and on playing amplified music.

Today Stonehenge was opened at 6.15am when it was deemed light enough to safely allow people into the field.

Visitors began to leave at 8.30am and then the area was opened to the paying public as normal at 9.30am

English Heritage are expected to offer a short period of access, from first light or safe enough to enter the monument field (approximately 06.30am) until 08:30am on the 23rd September this year.

The Autumn Equinox (Mabon)The 2018 Autumn Equinox is September 23rd at 02.54am GMTSunrise will be 6.55am

Mabon is a harvest festival, the second of three, that encourages pagans to “reap what they sow,” both literally and figuratively. It is the time when night and day stand equal in duration; thus is it a time to express gratitude, complete projects and honor a moment of balance.

What is the Equinox?

The equinox is when day and night are actually the same length. It happens several days before the spring equinox, and a few days after the autumn one.

The reason day and night are only almost equal on the equinox is because the sun looks like a disk in the sky, so the top half rises above the horizon before the centre, according to the Met Office.

The Earth’s atmosphere also refracts the sunlight, so it seems to rise before its centre reaches the horizon. This causes the sun to provide more daylight than many people might expect, offering 12 hours and 10 minutes on the equinox.

The Neolithic event will begin on Saturday, September 1, from 9.30am, and flints, roasting spits and stews will be just some of the historic touches to the feast, with celebration foods that have not been seen or tasted for around 4,500 years, including historical dish roasted pork shoulder with honey and blackberries.

Food demos will be held at the event so visitors can learn for themselves how to make a successful Neolithic dish, demonstrated with prehistoric- style cook-ware, and recipe cards will be provided so meals can be replicated within the home for years to come.

For those with a big appetite, history – inspired goods including a hog roast will be available during the weekend, or visit the Neolithic supermarket to learn about the early foods and farming industry.

Additionally experts will be giving talks throughout the foody festivities, teaching about the world of farming and the diets of ancestor builders.

Entry to the weekend is included in a general admission ticket, with local resident pass holders and English Heritage and National Trust England members invited to come along free of charge.

English Heritage are pleased to provide free Managed Open Access to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice 2018 and ask that if you are planning to join the celebrations for this peaceful and special occasion that you follow these Conditions of Entry. These are written to ensure enjoyment and safety for everyone attending summer solstice at Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is an ancient prehistoric site which has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice for thousands of years.

This important site is seen by many as a sacred site – if you are planning to visit for summer solstice we ask that you please respect the stones and each other.

The Solstice Car Park opens at 19:00hrs on 20th June 2018 with last admissions at 06:00hrs (or when full if earlier) on 21st June. The car park will close at 12.00 noon on 21st June.

ADMISSION, PLANNING YOUR JOURNEY AND PARKING
Admission to the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge is free of charge.

We strongly recommend travelling by public transport or arranging to car share with friends. You can also request or offer a lift to Stonehenge by following this link.

COME PREPARED

Stonehenge is in a field on Salisbury Plain and the weather in June can be cold and may be wet and windy. Even if it isn’t raining, the ground will be wet from the dew. There may also be frost.

Please be prepared for a 30 minute walk (in low light or darkness), from the bus drop off and from parking areas to the monument. You are strongly advised to wear warm and waterproof clothing and footwear and bring a torch with you.

Toilets at the Monument Field will only be available once the access period begins. There are no catering facilities in the monument field, however the café at the visitor centre is open for hot drinks and breakfast rolls from 6am.

Please note that there are no other amenities or facilities available to visitors until the Monument Field opens.

Please note to reduce risk to those attending and to the monument itself, alcohol is not allowed in the monument field during summer solstice.

GETTING HERE:

Parking for the Summer Solstice is very limited and English Heritage cannot guarantee that you will be able to park near to Stonehenge. If you are planning to travel by car, wherever you park there may be a 30 minute walk to the Monument. We strongly recommend car sharing or using public transport.

Organised Solstice Tours – If you are considering visiting Stonehenge for the Solstice celebrations you can even join an organised tour. Use a reputable tour operator who respect the conditions. Stonehenge Guided Tours are the longest established company and offer guided tours and transport from London and Solstice Events offer small group Summer Solstice Tours from Bathusing local expert guides.

Blue Badge Parking – Blue badge parking is in the visitor centre car park and permits must be booked in advance. There is accessible transport to the monument field from the visitor centre beginning at approximately 6.30am. Permits available from Solstice.Stonehenge@english-heritage.org.uk

As you approach Stonehenge, there will be signs to direct you to the car park – please ensure that you follow these. Please do not arrive early as there is no waiting on the roads in the area and you will be moved on.

Parking may involve a shuttle journey to the visitor centre and wherever you park there may be a 30 minute walk.

There is a parking charge of £15 per car, live-in vehicle and non-commericial minibus (up to 19 seats) at Stonehenge during Summer Solstice.

Motorbikes £2

Commercial coaches £100

The car parking charge is designed to encourage people to car share and will help the charity offset the costs of providing additional staffing and lighting in the car parks.

Please note, car parking charges apply to all users of the Winter Solstice car parks, including Blue Badge holders, and members of English Heritage and National Trust.

Motorists have access to a park and ride shuttle from the off-site solstice car parking to the visitor centre. A shuttle will also be provided between the visitor centre and Stonehenge, however visitors are asked to note that disabled people have priority on this bus and should therefore be prepared for a 30 minute walk, in low light, from parking areas to the monument.

English Heritage cannot guarantee entry to the car parks and recommend coming by public transport as cars will be turned away when the car parks are full.

Further details, and information to help you plan your journey, including details of local accommodation providers, will be published on these pages shortly, along with other helpful advice for summer solstice.

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